This is how it’s always been for me to be honest…

I always thought I was human, but deep down I knew I never was

But I still felt that I was an individual, my own kind of person

Now I’m to be an object?

A flag of new earth

For what?

Why?

I’m tired

I really tired

All these lights flashing in my face

The loud cheering

It’s so fake

I can feel all of their emotions

They’re just cheering because their leader said so

No one knows what’s going

I don’t even know what’s happening right now

Mann I hate these lights

Maybe I should do something about them….

…….

……..

“NEW EARTH NEW EARTH!” the people still chanting loudly

“Was all this a joke for you?” I push away from Xezus once more

“Don’t touch me!

I’m not yours

I don’t even know you, XPunk or whatever your name is,”

“It is Xezus First; besides my wife you are the only person that is allowed to address me by that name” the man still ignoring my attempts to antagonize

“Was everything you said XPunk a lie?

About wanting peace, and unity,

Was the entire Velvet Underground a massive sham to prepare for this…

This–aghhh!–I can’t find the right words!”

(My head hurts, my head hurts, my head hurts)

*Flash* *Flash*

“No, everything I said in the Velvet Underground was quite true, I strive for all pf those things, and as you can clearly see my dreams are close to fruition, the base itself was built by some spineless cowards who now use the balance of nature to hide from me,

Alright everyone Quiet!” Xezus shouts to the crowd which immediately goes mute, all of the lights diming out as well….

…...

……

Fwoo~♪

A cold breeze brushes across my cheek, everything now silent it begins to feel somewhat tense

The air reeks the metallic scent of blood going up my nose…

Alexander stands quietly awaiting orders from his leader unsure whether to go with the body of Himari or not...

.....

“Now I’m not going to repeat myself Kage…

I own you know,

You are not real,

You are not human

You should not think

You should only speak when I tell you too,

That is why I organized this whole thing Kage,

I could have killed your friends the moment they escaped months ago,

But I knew you were going to come looking for them

This was all orchestrated by me to break your mind, your perception of what’s real,

Stop fighting it, stop questioning everything, just stop being Kage.”

……..

“…I–”

“–No, do not speak yet,” the man grabs me by neck pulling my face close to his.

His hypnotic starry eyes feel almost like they’re peering into my soul

“Now, Kage repeat after me…”

“Re…repeat after me”

“I”

“I”

“Am”

“am”

“Not”

“not”

“A human”

“a human”

“I belong to”

“I belong to”

“Humanity”

“Hu…”

“Say it”

“Hum–No, no I can’t, I don’t, I don’t belong to you!” I fight back

“…..

You already do Kage,” Mr. First sighs like a disappointed parent

Taking the chance I pull away from him for the third time and….

(Where am I?)

My body bounces back, the air feels rubbery now,

The park the people, all of the lights they’re all gone,

The atmosphere is dense the ground is hard and sandy the sky is pitch black

This feels all to familiar,

(Am I inside a magic diamond?

When did he teleport me? I didn’t notice even slightly

Have always been here?

Agghhh! I can’t tell what’s real anymore!)

“You seem familiar with these~” a voice whispers in my ear

I swing around to see no one but a dark void

“I realize the error in my plan now,

You don’t have a strong connection to Himari as you do too Apollo,

I should have killed him not her,

Or maybe even orchestrated something even worse,

Perhaps this was too simple?” his voice bounces around me like an echo chamber…

“Enough with the evil games supreme leader!” I spit out randomly still trying to figure out what words I should say,

What should my response be?

“Haha you call me with respect, and evil?

That is bold claim coming from you Amadeus.

I am trying to bring peace and equality to all humans,

While you keep and create an unfair so called balance that has us unequal,”

“I haven’t done anything to you!”

“Yes I know but you have taken the mantle and all that comes with it,

You’ve been across all rings Kage, you’ve seen how it is,

On Gaia the people are granted a connection to nature and the magic that comes with it,

But their technological advancements will be doomed to fail no matter what,

The opposite is for the people of Tellus, they get the tech but no magic,

And us of Terra, we get both, but with pitiful bodies that live short lives and die if you scratch them too hard,

Is that a suitable balance Amadeus!?”

“….That…

That has nothing to do with me”

“hahah now you act nonchalant,

Because of you Amadeus, we farm the bodies lf Tellus humans to grow babies,

And now on this new earth we will finally be able to begin using the people of Gaia to create perfect bodies for ourselves”

“Your sick, all of this is!”

“Maybe it is, but would you rather we have just gone extinct?

Because that’s how it was before, we here on Terra have almost gone extinct so many times we stopped counting,

Do you know how it feels to be told you’re wife is pregnant here?

It’s painful, because you not only have to prepare to raise a child that might die before it even begins to walk,

You also have to prepare for your wife’s funeral in advance, because she’s drying regardless of if the child survives,

Is that balance Kage?

Is that a good way to maintain the rings?”

“Stop it, stop pressuring me on things I have no hand in!

I don’t even know what’s–everything feels so disorienting right now!”

……..

“Then stop thinking and just concede to me Kage,”

“…….”

“Still you refuse,

Hhhhhh

Kage, Kage, Kage…

I wonder who it is gave you that name?

Did you name yourself or was it that thief the blackmagic dealer who stole you from the Second Family…?

Kage, Kage, Kage,

Truly a shadow of your former selves,

You know something about shadows Amadeus?”

“……..”

“They are things created from light yet they are of darkness, a queer balance

To us humans shadows are things not necessarily real, illusions if you may, they resemble our appearance, but only in silhouette, they can’t be heard touched or interacted with in any way,

These are the exact same descriptions one could use when speaking about a god and if God is similar to the shadow of a human,

Wouldn’t the god’s shadow resemble the appearance of human?”